Quad, Quadracci Family’s Windhover Foundation Deepen Commitment to The BrandLab

Quad/Graphics, Inc. and the Harry V. Quadracci family’s Windhover Foundation announced a new three-year, $1 million commitment to The BrandLab, a non-profit dedicated to changing the face and voice of the marketing profession by creating career opportunities for young people from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Additionally, Quad and The BrandLab have created a new scholarship program to support students pursuing a degree in marketing or advertising. These actions build on an initial three-year, $1 million commitment that helped The BrandLab extend its presence to the Milwaukee market in 2021.

“Quad and the Windhover Foundation are committed to this work because it is deeply connected to our values and reflects our long-standing commitment to invest in the future of the Milwaukee community through programs that grow human capital,” said Joel Quadracci, chairman, president and CEO of Quad. “The BrandLab is helping drive a meaningful difference for young people by providing access and opportunities to careers in the marketing and advertising profession. The BrandLab is purpose-built to help achieve that reality.”

The $1 million investment will bolster The BrandLab’s programmatic efforts and help accelerate its growth. Specifically, it will help:
• Enhance and expand The Brand Lab’s Fearless Workshops, which challenge marketing professionals to consider how their organizations can adopt more inclusive practices.
• Support events and programming that introduce high school students to marketing careers. The BrandLab seeks to increase overall program exposure of BIPOC youth by 20% through 2027.
• Improve access to marketing careers by continuing to provide internships and facilitate new marketing partner connections to help increase internship placements by 40% through 2027.
• Provide annual co-branded scholarships to promote continued education in marketing.

“Quad’s ongoing partnership has been essential to our work, which not only helps team members bring their full selves to work, but diversifies the creative field to ensure agencies and corporate marketing departments are representing a broad range of communities accurately and authentically,” said Kelli Williams, CEO of The BrandLab. “Quad and the Quadracci family have committed their financial resources, along with their time and talent, to advance our mission and we could not be more grateful.”

Quad is also supporting The BrandLab’s new Future Innovators Scholarship, which provides Milwaukee youth with funding to pursue an education in marketing or advertising. The 2024 scholarship recipient, Cristal Ortiz, is a rising junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

“Receiving support from groups like The BrandLab means a lot,” Ortiz said. “They not only help fund my education, but they provide me with access to resources like networking and internships. Being a first-generation student can be difficult, but groups like these provide a point of contact for people that are rooting for you.”

Since its founding 15 years ago in 2009, The BrandLab has introduced thousands of students to creative careers, placing more than 500 interns in corporations and agencies in Minneapolis, Kansas City and Milwaukee, with 94% of recent program graduates hired into the industry full-time.

In the last three years alone, Quad has helped The BrandLab establish 35 partner relationships and place 81 interns in Milwaukee agencies and companies.